Wine Advisor
Bollinger, La Grande Annee Rose 2002
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Description
La Grande Année Rosé is an alternative expression of La Grande Année, transformed by the addition, at blending, of the unique red wine from La Côte aux Enfants. The emblematic single plot of the House, located in Aÿ, produces still red wine only when the grapes reach perfect ripeness. After vinification in small aged oak barrels and a prolonged ageing on its lees, even today every bottle of La Grande Année Rosé is riddled and disgorged by hand. This reflects all the expertise of the House, able to create a cuvée whose quality is matched only by its rarity. La Grande Année Rosé 2014 is the fruit of a blend of La Grande Année 2014 and a unique red wine from the Côte aux Enfants. This emblematic plot in Aÿ, one of Bollinger’s single plots, is vinified in red only when the grape maturation is optimal, a rarity that contributes to the quality of the wine produced.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2002 Brut Rose La Grande Annee is rather delicate and subdued at first, but then emerges beautifully in the glass, turning richer and weightier with air. The wine possesses gorgeous inner perfume, superb length and great overall balance. The 2002 Brut Rose La Grande Annee is 62% Pinot Noir and 38% Chardonnay, with the addition of 7% still Pinot from Ay. The vineyard blend in 2002 is 73% Grand Cru, 27% Premier Cru. This bottle was disgorged in May, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2019. This is a beautiful set of new releases from Bollinger, one of Champagne’s reference-point houses. The wines are aged in neutral oak barrels, while all of the reserve wines are aged in magnums, a painstaking procedure that must be seen to be truly appreciated. This year I didn’t taste the entry-level NV Special Cuvee or Brut Rose, but the Special Cuvee in particular is typically one of my favorite Champagnes in the $75 price range. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2002 Brut Rose La Grande Annee is a beautifully detailed, subtle wine. A noble, intriguing bouquet leads dried roses, berries, minerals all of which come together with gorgeous articulation. There is a wonderful balance between the vinosity of the Pinot and the more chalky, minerally elements that preserve freshness. The finish is totally impeccable and classy. In a word: Sublime. This is Lot L001831. Disgorged November 10, 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2015. This is an exceptional set of new wines from Bollinger, one of Champagne’s historic houses. From top to bottom, there isn’t anything Bollinger isn’t doing well these days. I recently sat down with Chef de Caves Matthieu Kaufmann to taste through a range of the house’s 2009s. Readers will find notes on that tasting on www.erobertparker.com One of the distinguishing features of the Bollinger style is the aging of reserve wines in magnum under cork (not crown seal), a painstaking labor of love. Bollinger also has some of the most informative back labels among the region’s larger producers. It would be great to see Krug, Moet & Chandon, Roederer, Taittinger, Veuve Cliquot and a number of the region’s big houses follow suit. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900
About the Producer
Established in the commune of Aÿ-Champagne in 1829, the House of Bollinger is home to an impressive legacy of winemaking excellence, achieved through the polished precision of a finely tuned timepiece. Today, the Bollinger Champagne House reigns over 440 acres dedicated to the vine in the Champagne region of northern France, of which an impressive 85% is classified Grand Cru or Premier Cru. The vineyards are spread out over 7 main communes. Pinot Noir is planted in Ay (the headquarters of the House), as well as Avenay, Verzenay, Louvois and Tauxieres. Meanwhile, the House’s Chardonnay comes from Cuis, while Pinot Meunier is planted in Champvoisy. A complex and powerful grape, Pinot Noir represents 60% of the total plantings, which corresponds to the exact proportion of this grape variety in the blend of the House’s signature Special Cuvee. The two crown gems of the House are its twin plots, the Clos Saint-Jacques and Chaudes Terres, where ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines are tended to by hand, their fruit used to produce the very exclusive and rare Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises cuvee.
